Swords that’re meant to be able to be held with that kind of grip usually have an unsharpened bit for that purpose. Alternatively, if you’re armored from head-to-toe, just make sure your gauntlets are on tight.
Swords historically have a ricasso. That’s the base part of the blade, and it generally isn’t sharpened, specifically to be able to use half-swording (having one hand on the grip and one on the blade). The hand on the blade is often at like 1/3 of the blade tho. It was used to stab into weak points of an armor with precision (since swords were pretty bad against armored foes).
But also, half-swording is done by “pinching” the flat of the blade betweend the palm and the fingertips, in a way that prevents touching the sharpened thread. It isn’t shown on this (very historically accurate, if i may say so) image
I suppose the point of a longsword is less “wickedly sharp razor blade to slice and dice with precision” and more “wedge shaped heavy piece of metal to drop on people with the hope of finding a gap in their armour”
If you want slicey-dicey, get a super-sharp katana or a saber. If you want fast and pokey, get a rapier. If you want a beating stick that’s 80% sharp edge, grab a broadsword.
Over grip seems like a really great way to slice your hand open
Swords that’re meant to be able to be held with that kind of grip usually have an unsharpened bit for that purpose. Alternatively, if you’re armored from head-to-toe, just make sure your gauntlets are on tight.
Why didn’t we ever have something that is half grip/pole and half sword? Any disadvantages to that?
Swords historically have a ricasso. That’s the base part of the blade, and it generally isn’t sharpened, specifically to be able to use half-swording (having one hand on the grip and one on the blade). The hand on the blade is often at like 1/3 of the blade tho. It was used to stab into weak points of an armor with precision (since swords were pretty bad against armored foes). But also, half-swording is done by “pinching” the flat of the blade betweend the palm and the fingertips, in a way that prevents touching the sharpened thread. It isn’t shown on this (very historically accurate, if i may say so) image
I suppose the point of a longsword is less “wickedly sharp razor blade to slice and dice with precision” and more “wedge shaped heavy piece of metal to drop on people with the hope of finding a gap in their armour”
If you want slicey-dicey, get a super-sharp katana or a saber. If you want fast and pokey, get a rapier. If you want a beating stick that’s 80% sharp edge, grab a broadsword.